Fire-escape.



Patented Aug.. I4, |900.

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FIRE ESCAPE.

@Application led Jan.`22, 1900.)

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y llrirrnn ATNT priori@ CHARLES ORLANDO BUTTON, or LAOHINE, CANADA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.. 655,923, dated-August 14,A 1900. Application filed January 22, 19,00. l' Serial No. 2,402. (No model.)

is to provide a permanent and easily-accessible means of escape from a burning building whereby persons may without difculty or inconvenience reach the ground; audit con-V sists, essentially, of a hollow tower iitted internally with a spiral staircase and preferably self-closing doors leading into the tower from the corridors of the building, the staircase at the lower end leading onto a balcony which is pivotally swung, so that on the release of a bracket on oneof its ends the weight of a person will swing that end of the balcony down and release a series of slats forming the floor of the balcony to make a stairway reaching to the ground, the various parts being constructed in detail, as hereinafter more particularly described.

Figure l is a perspective View of my fireescape,showing the tower partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of nay device, showing the balcony in its lowered position in dotted lines.' Fig. 3 is a detail of mylde vice for releasing the steps.V

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each ligure.

A is the column or tower, which is built into or forms part of the ordinarywall of the building, preferably standing out somewhat from the walls, so as to form a Doric or other ornamental column. This column or tower is hollow and fitted up internally with a spiral staircase B. A suitable fireproof self-closing door C, opening inwardly to the tower and communicating with the corridor inside the building, is provided on every flat or story. At the lower end of the staircase B the outs wardly-swinging spring-door C makes an exit from the tower A to the balcony E.

The balconyE is pivotally hung in the center on the spindle H and supported at its two ends by brackets I and J. The spindle H is fixed in a bracket H, attached to the wall of to swingfreelyl standing thereon.

the building, and extends through the brackets c5 on the lower edges of the balcony, so as The end-supporting bracket J swings as a hinge in the sockets or rings j and is swung back against the wall by means 4of` a rope j', attached to its outer end. The

ropej' passes under and over pulleys ,i2 and js, respectively, and the end is attached to a ping'4 on the wall immediately below the pulleyf.

The floor of the balcony E for one-half of its length consists of slats e2, pivotally swung in the frame e. The boltfwhen the balcony is in its ordinary position is held in a square notch g in the upper portion of the quadrant G by means of a springft. The slat e3, which is connected by means of the rod c4 to the slats e2, has a slot e5 immediately over the boltf. The projection f over the boltfprojects slightly above the level of the slat e3,

so that a forward movement, effected by the //v" foot of a person or otherwise, of the projection f in the slot e5 will release the bolt f from the square notch g. The bracket J, being removed frotn under one end of the balcony E, the effect of any person or weight standing on the slat e3 will 'serve to tilt the balcony, and the quadrant G begins to assume a difterent position as the balcony E tilts farther, the slat e3 being held horizontal by the person The projection f being released from the notch g, as the balcony continues to tilt the quadrant G assumes a different position, and the bolt, as aforesaid, falls into the next notch below the square notch g. VThe notches g are so arranged as to allow the bolt to slip through theln as the balcony is tilting until it reaches the square notch g2 at the lower end of thequadrant G, when the bolt again locks itself, but this time in the lower square notch g2. It will thus be seen that on the downward movement of this portion of the balcony vE the slats e3 and e2 will remain in a horizontal position, as the quadrant G is made with a sufficient number of teeth to allow the end of the balcony to reach the ground.

In order to putniy device to practicaluse, a person descending the s taircase inside the tower steps onto the balcony and standing on the slat e3 releases the bolt f from the upper notch in the quadrant G by moving the projection f' in its slot and pulling the cord or ICD chain j he moves the support J against the wall and the balcony being pivotally swung will from the persons weight begin to overbalance, thereby bringing the boltf into the neXt notch below, and so on, according as the balcony swings, until the bolt reaches the last notch in the quadrant G, where it locks. It will thus be seen that the slats e2 will always retain the same horizontal position and that as the end of the balcony descends to the ground a convenient staircase is made for the person descending,

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination with the tower and staircase, of a pivotally-swung balcony, pivotally-hung slats forming the ioor thereof, adapted to form a stairway, a rod connecting said slats, a spring-held bolt having a projection passing through a slot in the first slat, a quadrant under the balcony to engage said bolt, a removable bracket under one end of A the balcony and means for removing said supporting-bracket to allow the balcony to tilt, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination with a spiral staircase and a hollow tower of a pivotally-swung balcony iitted with a fioor of pivotally-swung leased from either of the end slats as and for v the purpose specified.

3. The combination with a spiral staircase and tower of a pivotally-swung balcony tted with a iioor of pivotally-swung connected slats adapted to form a stairway, a springheld bolt, having a lngprojecting through the first slat a quadrant immediately under the balcony said bolt being adapted to engage the same the stationary bracket and the hinged bracket,a rope attached to the hinged bracket passing under the balcony to the wall in proximity to the tower and suitable guides and fastening for the rope as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at Montreal, Canada, this Sth day of January, 1900.

CHARLES ORLANDO DUTTON.

Witnesses z E. P. FETHERSTONHAUGH,. RICHARD COLLINS. 

